Sewing Olympics: Day 5

Welcome back for the last day of the Sewing Olympics!

While you're watching the skiing, ice skating, and more, we hope you'll also join in our Sewing Olympics here at Sew in Love with Fabric. These are events that you can participate in, with a chance to win fabric prizes! 

Click here to read all the details.

For our Sewing Olympics, we'll be making 33" square quilt using three different blocks. We'll be sharing the tutorials and showing the finished quilt using two different colorations of Amanda Murphy's Winter Games fabrics. We invite you to play along, either using Winter Games or any Benartex/Kanvas/Contempo fabrics of your choice. Click here to see fabric requirements.

Today's tutorial features quilt version 2

Sewing Event #5:

Finish the quilt top! Today we'll be joining the blocks and adding a border to complete the quilt top. 

1. Lay out the (9) blocks into (3) rows of (3) each, noting orientation of your four-patch blocks. Sew the blocks into rows. Press the seams out in the top and bottom rows and toward the center in the middle row. This will allow your seams to nest when you join the block rows. Sew the block rows together to complete the quilt center. 

2. Cut (2) 3-1/2" x 27-1/2" border strips and (2) 3-1/2" x 33-1/2" border strips. 

3. Pin a shorter border strip to a side of the quilt, with the pieced center facing up so you can make sure the pinwheel points don't get cut off. 

 4. Stitch shorter strips to opposite sides of the quilt and press borders. 

5. In the same way, add the longer borders to the top and bottom. 

Here's the finished quilt top for version #1:

Your Sewing Olympics quilt top is complete! To finish, layer the backing right side down, batting, and quilt top right side up and baste layers together. Quilt as desired and bind using (4) 2-1/4" x WOF strips. Enjoy! 

How to enter: 
To enter our final sewing event, complete your quilt top using Benartex, Kanvas or Contempo fabrics.

Send a photo of your block to socialmedia23 (at) gmail.com with the subject line "Sewing Olympics Day 5". Your sample should use Benartex, Kanvas or Contempo fabrics. Include your full name and mailing address. Contest open through Monday, February 19th at 11:59 pm EST.

Sewing Olympics Rules:

• For a chance to win a fabric prize, send a photo of your completed unit from the day's event. In each event, we'll post the subject line (Sewing Olympics Day 1, for example), as well as the deadline for entries. 
• Include your full name and mailing address with your entry; if you win, we'll have your mailing information already. 
• All photo entries must be made using Benartex, Kanvas or Contempo fabric.
• We'll randomly draw a winner from each day's entries. Winners from days 1-4 will receive a pack of 5" squares of Benartex fabric. Randomly drawn gold, silver and bronze winners from Day 5 (quilt top assembly) will receive fat quarter bundles. 

Click here to see Amanda's Winter Games fabric collection.
Click here to see the two versions we'll be making during the Sewing Olympics and to find fabric requirements.

Participate in all five days of the Sewing Olympics!
Day 1: Warm-up -- perfect your 1/4" seam
Day 2: The four-patch block
Day 3: The pinwheel block
Day 4: The economy block

Love It? Share It!

Sewing Olympics: Day 4

Welcome back for Day 4 of the Sewing Olympics!

While you're watching the skiing, ice skating, and more, we hope you'll also join in our Sewing Olympics here at Sew in Love with Fabric. These are events that you can participate in, with a chance to win fabric prizes! 

Click here to read all the details.

For our Sewing Olympics, we'll be making 33" square quilt using three different blocks. We'll be sharing the tutorials and showing the finished quilt using two different colorations of Amanda Murphy's Winter Games fabrics. We invite you to play along, either using Winter Games or any Benartex/Kanvas/Contempo fabrics of your choice. Click here to see fabric requirements.

Today's tutorial features quilt version #1

Sewing Event #4: 

Square in a Square (in a Square) Block … aka Economy Block

You will need:

(1) 5” square of Silver Rings for block center
(2) 4” squares of Red Snowflakes, cut in half diagonally for (4) inside triangles
(2) 5-1/2” squares of Silver Rings, cut in half diagonally for (4) outside triangles

1. Fold the 5” center square in half and mark the center with a pin. Fold (2) inside triangles in half and mark the center with a pin. Match centers and pin the triangles to opposite sides of the center square. Sew, then press. Tip – we like to sew with the triangle on the bottom.

2. Repeat on the remaining sides with remaining (2) inside triangles. Trim off dog ear points.

3. Fold (2) outside triangles in half and mark center with a pin. Match center with the point of the center square and pin triangles to opposite sides. Sew, then press.

Tip – When sewing, be sure that your stitching line is just inside the intersection of the inside triangles. This will give you a perfect point.

4. Repeat on remaining sides with (2) remaining outside triangles. Square your block to 9-1/2”, being sure to leave ¼” beyond the inside (red) triangle points on each side.

 Here's the economy block for quilt version #2:

How to enter: 
To enter today's sewing event, make an economy block using Benartex, Kanvas or Contempo fabrics.

Send a photo of your block to socialmedia23 (at) gmail.com with the subject line "Sewing Olympics Day 4". Your sample should use Benartex, Kanvas or Contempo fabrics. Include your full name and mailing address. Contest open through Wednesday, February 14th at 11:59 pm EST.

Sewing Olympics Rules:

• For a chance to win a fabric prize, send a photo of your completed unit from the day's event. In each event, we'll post the subject line (Sewing Olympics Day 1, for example), as well as the deadline for entries. 
• Include your full name and mailing address with your entry; if you win, we'll have your mailing information already. 
• All photo entries must be made using Benartex, Kanvas or Contempo fabric.
• We'll randomly draw a winner from each day's entries. Winners from days 1-4 will receive a pack of 5" squares of Benartex fabric. Randomly drawn gold, silver and bronze winners from Day 5 (quilt top assembly) will receive fat quarter bundles. 

Click here to see Amanda's Winter Games fabric collection.
Click here to see the two versions we'll be making during the Sewing Olympics and to find fabric requirements.

Participate in all five days of the Sewing Olympics!
Day 1: Warm-up -- perfect your 1/4" seam
Day 2: The four-patch block
Day 3: The pinwheel block
Day 4: The economy block

Love It? Share It!

Sewing Olympics: Day 3

Welcome back for Day 3 of the Sewing Olympics!

While you're watching the skiing, ice skating, and more, we hope you'll also join in our Sewing Olympics here at Sew in Love with Fabric. These are events that you can participate in, with a chance to win fabric prizes! 

Click here to read all the details.

For our Sewing Olympics, we'll be making 33" square quilt using three different blocks. We'll be sharing the tutorials and showing the finished quilt using two different colorations of Amanda Murphy's Winter Games fabrics. We invite you to play along, either using Winter Games or any Benartex/Kanvas/Contempo fabrics of your choice. Click here to see fabric requirements.

Version #2, featured in today's tutorial

Day 3 Event: 

Today's event is a pinwheel block, made using four half-square triangles.

To make quilt version #2, you will need your Lime Mittens and Gray Dots fabrics. (Quilt version #1 uses Silver Rings and Lime Mittens.)

1. Cut (8) 6" squares from both the Lime Mitten and the Gray Dot fabrics. Draw a diagonal line on each Lime Mitten square and pair right sides together with a Gray Dot square.

2. With raw edges matching on the Lime Mitten and Gray Dot squares, sew 1/4" on each side of the drawn line. 

3. Cut apart on the drawn line. 

4. Press both half-square triangle units open.

5. Trim units to measure 5" square. Note: We chose to begin with larger squares and trim for greater accuracy. If you prefer, you can start with 5-1/2" squares and trim less from each half-square triangle unit. Make a total of (16) half-square triangle units.

6. Lay out (4) half-square triangles into a pinwheel block as shown. 

7. Sew the units into rows and join the rows to make a 9-1/2" square pinwheel block. 

8. Make a total of (4) pinwheel blocks. 

Here are pinwheel blocks made for version #1: 

How to enter: 
To enter today's sewing event, make a pinwheel block using Benartex, Kanvas or Contempo fabrics. (You'll need four blocks to make the finished quilt, but only one must be complete to enter to win today's contest.)

Send a photo of your block to socialmedia23 (at) gmail.com with the subject line "Sewing Olympics Day 3". Your sample should use Benartex, Kanvas or Contempo fabrics. Include your full name and mailing address. Contest open through Tuesday, February 13th at 11:59 pm EST.

Sewing Olympics Rules:

• For a chance to win a fabric prize, send a photo of your completed unit from the day's event. In each event, we'll post the subject line (Sewing Olympics Day 1, for example), as well as the deadline for entries. 
• Include your full name and mailing address with your entry; if you win, we'll have your mailing information already. 
• All photo entries must be made using Benartex, Kanvas or Contempo fabric.
• We'll randomly draw a winner from each day's entries. Winners from days 1-4 will receive a pack of 5" squares of Benartex fabric. Randomly drawn gold, silver and bronze winners from Day 5 (quilt top assembly) will receive fat quarter bundles. 

Click here to see Amanda's Winter Games fabric collection.
Click here to see the two versions we'll be making during the Sewing Olympics and to find fabric requirements.

Participate in all five days of the Sewing Olympics!
Day 1: Warm-up -- perfect your 1/4" seam
Day 2: The four-patch block
Day 3: The pinwheel block
Day 4: The economy block

Love It? Share It!

Sewing Olympics: Day 2

Welcome back for Day 2 of the Sewing Olympics!

While you're watching the skiing, ice skating, and more, we hope you'll also join in our Sewing Olympics here at Sew in Love with Fabric. These are events that you can participate in, with a chance to win fabric prizes! 

Click here to read all the details.

For our Sewing Olympics, we'll be making 33" square quilt using three different blocks. We'll be sharing the tutorials and showing the finished quilt using two different colorations of Amanda Murphy's Winter Games fabrics. We invite you to play along, either using Winter Games or any Benartex/Kanvas/Contempo fabrics of your choice. Click here to see fabric requirements.

Today's tutorial features quilt version #1

Day 2 Event: 

Now that you have your ¼” seam perfected, it is time to put that skill to use creating a strip pieced 4 Patch block. 
To make quilt version #1, will need your Red Dots and Silver Rings fabrics. (Quilt version #2 uses Red dots and Gray dots.)

1. Cut (1) 5” x Width of Fabric (WOF) strip of each fabric. Place the strips right sides together and sew along the entire width – creating a 9-1/2” x WOF strip. Press with your seam allowance towards the Red Dots fabric.

2. Place your strip on your cutting mat and square up one end. Cut (8) 5” x 9-1/2” rectangles from strip.

3. Place (2) 5” x 9-1/2” rectangles right sides together, nesting your seams, and pin. Sew together, then place right side down on your ironing board. Press seams in a clockwise direction as shown, spinning the center by gently releasing the stitches in the middle of the block.

4. Square your block up to 9-1/2”, and make (4).

Here are four-patch blocks made for quilt version #2:

How to enter: 
To enter today's sewing event, make a four-patch block using Benartex, Kanvas or Contempo fabrics. (You'll need four blocks to make the finished quilt, but only one must be complete to enter to win today's contest.)

Send a photo of your block to socialmedia23 (at) gmail.com with the subject line "Sewing Olympics Day 2". Your sample should use Benartex, Kanvas or Contempo fabrics. Include your full name and mailing address. Contest open through Monday, February 12th at 11:59 pm EST. 

Sewing Olympics Rules:

• For a chance to win a fabric prize, send a photo of your completed unit from the day's event. In each event, we'll post the subject line (Sewing Olympics Day 1, for example), as well as the deadline for entries. 
• Include your full name and mailing address with your entry; if you win, we'll have your mailing information already. 
• All photo entries must be made using Benartex, Kanvas or Contempo fabric.
• We'll randomly draw a winner from each day's entries. Winners from days 1-4 will receive a pack of 5" squares of Benartex fabric. Randomly drawn gold, silver and bronze winners from Day 5 (quilt top assembly) will receive fat quarter bundles. 

Click here to see Amanda's Winter Games fabric collection. 
Click here to see the two versions we'll be making during the Sewing Olympics and to find fabric requirements.

Participate in all five days of the Sewing Olympics!
Day 1: Warm-up -- perfect your 1/4" seam
Day 2: The four-patch block
Day 3: The pinwheel block
Day 4: The economy block

Love It? Share It!